HMAS Canberra (II)

HMAS Canberra (II) was the second of 6 Adelaide Class guided missile frigates built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It was modified to the design of the American Oliver Hazard Perry class.

The Australian Government ordered 2 of these ships in February 1976. They were constructed by the Todd Pacific Shipyard Corporation in Seattle, at a cost of $212 m each. The allocation of the names Adelaide and Canberra was announced in June 1977. Two ships of the same class, Sydney and Darwin were ordered in 1977 and 1980. They were followed by Melbourne and Newcastle which were built at Williamstown in Melbourne.

Commissioning and early years

Canberra’s keel was laid on 1 March 1978. The ship was launched on 1 December 1978. As built, it displaced 4100 tonnes and measured 135.6 metres in length with a beam of 13.7 metres. Two General Electric gas turbines generated speeds over 30 knots. The hull length was increased to 138 metres in 1990 to 1991 during a refit. The flight deck was also strengthened for the introduction of Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters. The accommodation spaces were modified in 1993 for female personnel.

Canberra’s main armament consisted of one 76 mm gun, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Standard surface-to-air missiles, the Phalanx close in weapons system and 2 triple-mounted anti-submarine torpedo tubes. Its average ship’s company was 186. This increased to around 210 when 2 Seahawk helicopters were embarked. Canberra and ships of the same class were used as long-range escorts. They had many roles including air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, interdiction and reconnaissance. They were also capable of countering simultaneous air, surface and sub-surface threats.

HMAS Canberra was delivered to the Australian Government on 12 March 1981 at Todd Pacific Shipyard Seattle, Washington. It was commissioned on 21 March 1981 under the command of Commander Brian Wilson RAN.

Canberra conducted various calibration and delivery trials until mid-May. It operated with ships of the Canadian Navy. It visited Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada, then went south to Long Beach, California, which was its American homeport for 13 months. During that time Canberra completed a US Navy workup, undertook a 3-month post-delivery dockyard availability at Todd Pacific Shipyard, Los Angeles and completed an extensive trials program.

While operating in the southern Californian exercise area and test range facility, Canberra visited San Francisco, San Diego and Port Hueneme. The ship was visited by the then Chief of Naval Staff, VADM Sir James Willis KBE AO RAN on 23 June and the Governor General His Excellency the Honourable Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMC GCVO K St J QC on 25 June.  On Friday 25 July it conducted its first Harpoon surface-to-surface missile firing test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in California.

Canberra arrived in Sydney on 29 March 1982 having visited Pearl Harbor, Suva and Auckland en route. Freedom of Entry to the City of Canberra was granted to the ship on Saturday 8 May after which Canberra began its Australian workup in the East Australia Exercise Area. For the rest of the year the frigate operated chiefly in Australian and Pacific waters visiting Honiara and Townsville in August, Adelaide in September and Melbourne in October. Due to an unexplained shaft vibration, later identified as a damaged propeller, Canberra was docked in early November in the floating dock located at Newcastle and afterwards at Sutherland Dock, Cockatoo Island Dockyard, in December for repairs.

Exercises and overseas deployments

With repairs to its propeller completed, Canberra began 1983 with an SM-1 Standard missile firing. During the February Fleet Concentration Period a second SM-1 firing was made. In March the ship participated in Exercise SEA EAGLE 83-1 visiting Melbourne as part of the RAN Task Group for the Moomba Festival. It then went west to HMAS Stirling and was the first frigate to berth alongside the facility. 

From there Canberra went on its first Indian Ocean deployment. It visited Colombo twice, Mombasa, Port Louis and Singapore. During the 3-month deployment Canberra operated briefly with the USS America Carrier Task Group and extensively with the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Task Group. During its second visit to Colombo in May Canberra struck the submerged wreck of the MV Chief Dragon, whose position within the harbour channel had been incorrectly plotted and buoyed. The collision caused damage to its propeller that was later repaired in Singapore. Passage back to Sydney in June included port visits to Fremantle and Adelaide. Canberra then began a long leave and Assisted Maintenance Period.

In August the frigate participated in FCP 83-2. In September it went to the north-west of Australia for Exercise KANGAROO 83, which lasted until mid-October. In November Canberra took part in the 5-day Exercise VALIANT USHER 84-2 in Western Australian waters with the US Navy Amphibious Squadron Seven. This this, the ship returned east to Sydney conducting Exercise TRANSITEX 84-1 with HMA Ships Hobart and Torrens and a Royal Navy Task Group comprising HM Ships Invincible, Aurora, Rothesay and RFAs Regent, Olmeda and Appleleaf. It completed the year commencing preparations for a forthcoming refit in the new year.

Following completion of its refit in April, Commander Chris Oxenbould RAN took command in April. In early August Canberra visited East Asia as part of Task Group 627.2, with HMA Ships Stalwart, Yarra, Stuart and Sydney. After leaving Darwin the TG made port visits to Udjang Pandang, Manila, Kure, Sasebo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Canberra was scheduled to participate in Exercise Sandgroper off the West Australian coast in October. However, the ship withdrew from the exercise and instead returned to Sydney for the dockyard installation of the Phalanx Close in Weapons System in November.

In February 1985 the Canberra was underway again conducting sea trials before participating in FCP 85-1. During the FCP Canberra’s first Squirrel Helicopter was embarked. The ship helped HMNZS Canterbury’s Wasp helicopter which had declared a PAN (indicating an urgent situation short of a life-threatening emergency) followed by a Mayday when becoming disorientated and low on fuel. The aircraft was safely recovered on Canberra’s flight deck.

In March Canberra proceeded north to take part in Exercise FLYING FISH. It made a port visit to Brisbane before returning south for Easter, followed by visits to Hobart and Melbourne. In May Canberra deployed to the south-west Pacific. It visited Fiji, Nuku’alofa and Neiafu in Tonga, and Apia in Western Samoa. In October, following participation in Exercise CORAL SEA, the Canberra visited Jakarta and Hong Kong.

While in the Malacca Straits, Canberra came across the Soviet Frunze (Kirov class carrier) Surface Action Group escorted by Osmotritelnyy (Sovremenny class destroyer) and Strogiy (Kashin class destroyer). Over a 5-day period Canberra used its helicopter to gather more information, as the Soviets transited the Malacca and Singapore Straits before entering the South China Sea. On breaking away from the Soviets, both navies exchanged pleasantries.

Later in the South China Sea it conducted 2 days of exercises with warships of the USS Midway Battle Group off Subic Bay in the Philippines. Returning to Sydney in early December command transferred to Commander Rob Spencer RAN.

Canberra participated in FCP 86-1 in February. The frigate was part of the multi-RAN ship port visit to Hobart for the Royal Hobart Regatta. This was followed in early March by Exercise TASMAN SEA off Newcastle before the ship, with other RAN units, made a port visit to Melbourne for the Moomba festival. On 15 March Canberra exercised its Freedom of Entry right into the nation’s capital.

Due to industrial action at both the RAN’s Sydney dockyards, Canberra changed its 1B main engine at the Woolwich dock, home to the Army’s 35 Water Transport Squadron. It then sailed west with other RAN units for a port visit to Fremantle and Anzac Day in Perth. While at Garden Island in Western Australia it was discovered that the turbine blades in Canberra’s 1A main engine were also worn, requiring another main engine exchange at Fleet Base West. Canberra then re-joined other RAN major fleet units in Darwin after a 21-knot high speed transit.

Canberra then went with HMAS Hobart to Singapore for a late May port visit. In early June it visited Cochin in India, Port Victoria in the Seychelles, Mombasa in Kenya and Port Louis in Mauritius. It returned to Sydney in July via Darwin. Following a month-long maintenance period, Canberra participated in FCP 86-2 in September. It then visited Gladstone and exercised with the various foreign navy ships in eastern Australian waters for the impending RAN 75th Anniversary Fleet Review in Sydney Harbour on Saturday 4 October. Canberra entered refit following the fleet review.

Canberra returned to sea in February 1987. It did sea trials and made a port visit to Brisbane. In March it was the first of its class to qualify in naval gunfire support. On 19 May Commander Simon Harrington RAN took command, and the ship went north to the Coral Sea to conduct exercises with the USS Midway Battle Group.

In July Canberra visited Southeast Asia as part of an RAN Task Group. It visited Honiara and Ndhende Island in the Solomon Islands, Port Moresby and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, Manila in the Philippines and Hong Kong. It returned to Sydney in late September after participating in FCP 87-2 off Western Australia, visiting Fremantle and Adelaide en route. The remainder of the year was occupied maintaining a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance.

Being Australia’s bicentennial year, 1988 was a busy year for Canberra. The ship went to Hobart as part of a RAN Task Group. Prime Minister the Honourable Bob Hawke, embarked for the official start of the Hobart to Sydney Tall Ship’s Race. The frigate then participated in FCP 88-1, Exercise TASMAN RULER 88 and Exercise FLYING FISH 88.

In mid-April Canberra escorted the Royal Yacht HMY Britannia Her Majesty the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Australia. In late May, the frigate went to Hawaii for Exercise RIMPAC 88. 

After completing Exercise TASMANEX 88 at the end of August, Canberra conducted a maintenance period ahead of the Bicentennial Naval Salute on 1 October. On 20 December Commander Geoff Walpole RAN took command.

Canberra began 1989 preparing for a 14-week deployment to the United States, in company with HMAS Tobruk. After a brief shakedown period at the end of January it visited Newcastle, Honiara and Pearl Harbor en route to California. It conducted port visits to San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Diego and took part in the All-Comers at Sea Training week. After Easter, Canberra returned to Sydney via Pearl Harbor, Honiara and Brisbane.

Canberra was back in Melbourne towards the end of January 1990 in support of the Skyshow fireworks event at Albert Park. It visited New Zealand in February for FCP 90-1 before returning to Sydney for a maintenance period. 

Canberra visited Wellington to take part in commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli. On Saturday 18 May Canberra participated in the Royal Malaysian Navy’s International Royal Fleet Review. It then took part in a Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) exercise en route to Phuket, Thailand. It visited Singapore at the end of May before the Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Howard Furness RAN, took command for the return trip to Sydney.

Following a brief period of exercises off the Australian east coast, Canberra entered a 17-month refit in August. The refit included modifications to the flight deck and hangar to allow the ship to embark the Navy’s new Sikorsky S70B-2 Seahawk helicopters.

Canberra took part in Exercise CORAL SEA in April 1992, and operational readiness evaluations in May. It participated joined Exercise RIMPAC 92 with HMA Ships Hobart, Success and Adelaide in June. The exercise started in Pearl Harbor then went on to San Diego where exercises continued off the coast of southern California. Canberra fired missiles at both the Pacific Missile Range Facility and the SOCAL Mobile Sea Range. It returned to Sydney at the end of August and prepared to deploy to the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) for Operation DAMASK VI.

Operation DAMASK VI

Canberra left for HMAS Stirling for the MEAO on 19 October. The Gulf War had ended in February 1991, but naval operations continued in the Middle East. This was to make sure the Saddam Hussein regime complied with sanctions. This involved identifying and boarding merchant vessels en route to and from Iraq to make sure no contraband was being shipped. Canberra conducted boarding operations for the rest of the year, often working with the French and US navies. 

Canberra returned to the MEAO in the first week of 1993 as international tensions were escalating. United Nations Security Council resolutions were calling on Iraq to dismantle all its weapons of mass destruction programs but the reluctance to the Hussein regime to comply threatened a military response from UN forces. Between 13 and 19 January Canberra took station in the north Red Sea providing anti-air cover for the American destroyer USS Caron. Canberra was performing this duty on the 17th when Caron fired a salvo of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles at military targets in Iraq.

Canberra continued intercept and boarding operations until the beginning of March. It made operational port visits to Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, Port Suez in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan. It left the MEAO on 12 March. It had been deployed for 204 days and conducted 256 interrogations, 168 boardings and 3 diversions. 

Canberra continued with exercises until the end of July. It took part in FCP 93-2 before again deploying overseas in August. It left Sydney with HMAS Perth for a 5-month Asian deployment. After a port visit to Singapore, it took part in the FPDA Exercise Starfish 13/93, then visited Sattahip, Thailand. It returned to Singapore for maintenance then went north in October to Chin Hae in South Korea, and Maizuru and Hakodate in Japan, exercising with the South Korean and Japanese navies. It visited Hong Kong and Singapore before taking part in SHAREM ASWEX 94-1 in the Andaman Sea, and the LIMA 93 Defence Exhibition on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. It arrived home in Sydney, via Darwin, on 22 December.

In January 1994 Canberra embarked its first compliment of 28 female junior sailors. The ship went to Auckland for the Royal New Zealand Navy Fleet Training Period. During this time it anchored in the Bay of Islands for Waitangi Day celebrations on 6 February. It visited Napier at the end of the exercise then went back to Sydney for a 5-month refit. 

On Friday 14 October the ship welcomed the Governor of New South Wales, His Excellency Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AO RAN, for the launch of the book The Shame of Savo—Anatomy of a Naval Disaster by Commodore Bruce Loxton RAN and Chris Coulthard-Clark.

Canberra had a busy exercise and training program in early 1995. It visited Hobart with HMAS Hobart for the Royal Hobart Regatta. While the Premier of Tasmania, the Honourable Ray Groom visited Canberra. It returned to Sydney where an engine defect in March delayed its participation in Exercise KAKADU II. The ship arrived in Darwin and sailed with HMAS Sydney to join FPDA Exercise IADS 95 and Exercise AUSTHAI with the Royal Thai Navy

After visiting Surabaya and Singapore, Canberra had to pull out of the exercise because of problems with its sonar dome. Temporary repairs were made in Pattaya, Thailand. The ship went on to Manila and Hong Kong, but problems with the sonar dome continued. Canberra had to return early Sydney via Darwin. There it entered Captain Cook dry dock to undergo repairs in June. It returned to sea in September. In November Canberra made port visits to Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup, and Adelaide for the Formula One Grand Prix.

In the late 1980s the RAN introduced the two-ocean basing policy. This saw a shift in the balance of RAN fleet units based at Fleet Base East (FBE) in Sydney to Fleet Base West at HMAS Stirling near Rockingham. Canberra relocated to Western Australia in January 1996. On Wednesday 17 January the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, the Honourable Mr Kim Beazley MP, visited the ship. For the next few months, the frigate operated in Western Australian waters. It visited Albany before deploying in May to Asia.

During the two-month deployment Canberra visited to Ujung Pandang in Indonesia, San Fernando in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Sattahip and Phuket in Thailand, and Penang in Malaysia. It also took part in Exercise AUSTHAI 96. 

Following a brief period of exercises in January 1997, Canberra went east to take part in FCP 97-1, and to conduct work up exercises and an operational readiness evaluation. Canberra went to Southeast Asia in May. It made port visits to Singapore, San Fernando, Yokosuka, Tokyo, Pusan, Sattahip and Ujung Pandang. It exercised with the USS Independence Carrier Battle Group while in the China Sea. After returning to Australian, Canberra took part in Exercise KAKADU off Darwin in early August and TRANSITEX 97-1. It maintained a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance for the rest of the year.

Canberra began exercising in Western Australian waters then went east to take part in FCP 98-1. On 6 February, while alongside at FBE the Governor General, His Excellency Sir William Dean AC KBE visited the ship. He presented the ship with four awards: 

• the Duke of Gloucester’s Cup for the RAN unit with the highest level of overall proficiency
• the Australia Cup for marine engineering proficiency
• the Wormald Shield for damage control 
• the Combat Systems Proficiency Shield for the ship’s excellent performance in 1997.

The ship returned to FBW before again deploying for Southeast Asian waters in March. It visited Singapore for ADEX 98-2 but suffered an engine defect that prevented its planned visit to Sattahip. It was repaired in Singapore. The ship went on to Surabaya in Exercise NEW HORIZON. It was then attached to Operation BRANCARD. BRANCARD was the Australia Defence Force operation to prepare a possible evacuation of Australian nationals from Indonesia in the wake of civil unrest. Canberra joined other RAN units in the vicinity of Surabaya to form Task Group 627.5 from 17 May. The situation in Indonesia began to stabilise following President Suharto’s resignation on 21 May. The task group began to break up over the following days. Canberra set course for FBW on 26 May

Following a leave and maintenance period, Canberra returned to sea in August and went to Darwin to take part FCP 98-2. In October it went to Adelaide to support Defence Science and Technology Organisation trials. It then returned to Darwin to take part in Exercise SINGAROO. It maintained a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance for the rest of the year.

Following the Australia Day holiday in January Canberra once again joined the east coast RAN fleet to take part in FCP 99-1. Canberra visited Hobart and Newcastle then deployed to Southeast Asia in May. The ship visited Singapore, Phuket and Surabaya taking part in Exercise ADEX 99-2. It returned to FBW via Cairns and Sydney, where it undertook a four-month-long refit. Canberra returned to sea in November, conducting post-refit and sea qualification trials for the rest of the year.

In mid-January 2000 Canberra returned to Sydney for the installation of a new missile launcher. It also did sea qualification serials that included 2 successful missile firings. It used its Freedom of Entry into the City of Canberra again on 4 March. Later in the month Canberra returned to FBW for workup exercises and operational readiness evaluations.

In July the frigate went north to Darwin for exercises including Exercise NORTHERN ENCOUNTER, FCP 00-2, its final operational readiness assessment and Exercise SINGAROO. 

It then joined Exercise AUSTHAI in Thailand and Exercise GOODWILL in Japan. It also conducted passage exercises with units of the Republic of Korea Navy. It returned to HMAS Stirling, via Dampier in October. In November it returned to the Henderson hardstand for further maintenance.

In March 2001 Canberra began exercises in western Australian waters. This included a successful missile firing. At the end of April escorted the illegal foreign fishing vessel South Tomi into Fremantle as part of Operation TEEBONE. South Tomi had been spotted by an Australian fisheries vessel fishing near Heard Island on 29 March. South Tomi fled westward towards South Africa. An Australian Defence Force boarding team flew to South Africa and embarked in the South African Navy vessels Protea and Galewhewe, which intercepted South Tomi on 12 April. Canberra met the Australian Customs vessel MV Southern Supporter on 29 April. It escorted both vessels to Fremantle where they arrived on 1 May.

Canberra went to eastern Australia to take part in the multinational Exercise TANDEM THRUST. During the exercise on 22 May, a Canadian Navy Sea King helicopter from HMCS Regina made an emergency landing on Canberra’s flight deck due to a faulty gearbox. It was repaired overnight and the aircraft was returned to Regina early on the 23rd. Later that day Canberra also helped the ocean-going tug, MV Austral Salvor. Austral Salvor part of TANDEM THRUST but had run out of food while towing a hulk that was to be used as part of the exercise. Canberra provided enough food for the tug to finishits task and return alongside.

Canberra returned to FBW after visiting Melbourne and Adelaide. The ship then returned to Darwin in July to take part in Exercise KAKADU. The exercise was followed by a Southeast Asian deployment with HMA Ships Warramunga and Manoora, leaving Darwin on 13 August. Canberra made port visits to Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Sattahip. After a visit to Cairns in early September, it went to support the International Peace Monitoring Team in the Solomon Islands. It arrived in the area of operations on 15 September. There it did reconnaissance operations and stood by to provide aeromedical and evacuation assistance should the need arise. It was relieved by HMNZS Manawanui on 15 October and departed the area of operations that day.

Canberra arrived back at FBW on 24 October following a brief stop at Sydney. There it commenced a month-long leave and maintenance period before returning to the east coast for work up exercises. The ship was home in time for Christmas and was briefly docked down to replace a damaged propeller.

At the beginning of 2002, Canberra sailed south-west with HMAS Westralia to the Heard Island and McDonald Island Exclusive Economic Zone for Operation SUTTON fisheries patrols. In February the Russian flagged vessels Lena and Volga were apprehended for poaching Patagonian Toothfish and escorted back to Fremantle.

Canberra then deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation SLIPPER. SLIPPER was Australia’s contribution to the International Coalition Against Terrorism. This operation was like those conducted in the 1990s under Operation DAMASK. However, they had a greater emphasis on force protection and new procedures to deal with an increasingly diverse range of threats. The main concern was the smuggling of oil through the Khawr Abd Allah waterway. 

Canberra left Fremantle on 27 February and arrived in the MEAO, via Diego Garcia, in mid-March. By the end of its 16-week deployment its ship’s company had conducted: 

• 6 noncompliant boardings 
• 29 compliant boardings 
• 232 queries 
• 101 diversions 
• port visits to Diego Garcia, Bahrain, Dubai and Kuwait City. 

It left the MEAO in early July and arrived back at FBW, via the Maldives and Phuket, on 2 August, for refit.

Canberra was in refit throughout the first quarter of 2003. It did post-refit qualification trials and workup preparations from April until June. The frigate then went to Christmas Island under the auspices of Operation RELEX II. RELEX II was an operation to protect Australia’s borders in the nation’s northern reaches. In mid-August Canberra went to the Shoalwater Bay Exercise Area in Queensland to take part in Exercise CROCODILE 03. Afterwards it crossed the Tasman to New Zealand visiting Wellington and Milford Sound. The return passage to FBW in October was via Hobart for Navy Week. Following a maintenance period, Canberra participated in ASWEX 03. It then went back to Operation RELEX II duties in late November for a month. 

In January 2004 Canberra took part in Australia Day activities in Sydney. It then participated in Exercises OCEAN PROTECTOR and TASMANEX. It arrived back at FBW in mid-March and entering a maintenance period. On completion, Canberra resumed Operation RELEX II duties in May visiting Darwin and Christmas Island in the process. It returned to Darwin in July to assist with HMAS Anzac’s work up and to take part in Exercise SINGAROO in August. Upon completion, the ship deployed briefly to Southeast Asia to Sattahip for Exercise AUSTHAI. It then returned to FBW for extended maintenance and a period on the Henderson hardstand.

Final years and decommissioning

In 2005 Canberra conducted exercises in Western Australian waters. It briefly returned to Christmas Island to escort a speed limited HMAS Ballarat back to FBW. In March the ship commenced its second last Southeast Asian deployment. It visited Singapore, Zhanjiang (the first time an RAN ship had visited this Chinese port), Shanghai, Nagoya, Pusan, Yokosuka and Guam. On leaving Yokosuka, Canberra joined the USS Kittyhawk Carrier Battle Group for several weeks. Canberra visited Mackay before participating in Exercise TALISMAN SABRE in mid-June. On 24 July Canberra exercised, for the last time, its right to the Freedom of Entry into the City of Canberra before returning to FBW.

On 1 September 2005 Canberra went to Southeast Asia for the last time. It took part in the FPDA Exercise BERSAMA LIMA. It visited Singapore twice, Kemaman and Port Klang in Malaysia, then Geraldton and Albany in Western Australia.  On 7 November Canberra entered the channel at Fleet Base West flying its 138-metre decommissioning pennant. At 11.15 am on Saturday 12 November 2005 Canberra decommissioned. It had completed 25 years of service, spent 64 771 hours underway, and steamed 841 165 nautical miles.

Despite being based far from its namesake city, the crew of Canberra worked hard to maintain an association with the national capital. The ship was affiliated with the Rivett-based Noah’s Ark Resource Centre, and the Australia Capital Territory Brumbies rugby team. A City/Ship Liaison Committee was formed in 1980 to foster links with Canberra. The committee struck a limited edition medallion to commemorate Canberra's commissioning. The Australia Capital Territory Government also gave the ship Northbourne Avenue street signs to display in the ship’s main passageway. The men and women of Canberra exercised their right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Canberra on 5 occasions: 1982, 1986, 1990, 2000 and 2005.

HMAS Canberra was the first Adelaide class guided missile frigate to be decommissioned. It was scuttled at 2 pm on Sunday 4 October 2009 in 28 metres of water off Ocean Grove, Victoria to create an artificial reef and diving site.